Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA) has hit its £10,000 fundraising target to help construct two purpose-built refuge bungalows – after local law firm Higgs LLP stepped in with a £5,000 donation.
Higgs has been fundraising enthusiastically for BCWA after choosing the organisation as its charity of the year. Events have included delicious bake offs, exciting sponsored challenges and a highly competitive six-a-side football tournament between local businesses.
The firm’s £5,000 donation has been doubled to £10,000 by Big Give, a national match-funding platform that agreed to support BCWA’s Women and Girls campaign.
The money from Higgs and Big Give will go towards the construction of two purpose-built refuge bungalows for disabled mothers and their children to recover from abuse and start new, safer lives.
"Higgs has been such an enthusiastic and supportive corporate partner and we have enjoyed every minute of being their Charity of the Year.
“Thanks to Higgs’ flexibility and generosity, we hit our match-funded target within hours of the Big Give campaign opening.
“Building new, much needed disabled-access refuge spaces will help us support families with complex needs. We can’t do it without the support of our community and amazing corporate partners like Higgs.”
Sara Ward
CEO, Black Country Women's Aid
Work has just begun on the bungalows’ construction, creating new and welcoming safe spaces.
Clare Griffiths, Engagement Manager at Higgs LLP, said: "We were delighted to raise £5,000 to help BCWA and the tremendous work the charity does. To know the donation has been doubled by Big Give is great news and will make a real difference.
“Higgs has a long and proud tradition of supporting good causes in the Black Country. Our people really revel in all of the fundraising activities we hold throughout the year.”
Women with disabilities are nearly three-times more likely to have endured domestic abuse. Their additional challenges can make them more vulnerable to violence and coercive control from partners, family members or carers.
For disabled victims, abuse is often more severe and frequent than for non-disabled people.
However, only around one in 10 refuge spaces in the UK has disabled access, and this can make it harder for victims with disabilities to escape to a safe space when they need it.
The bungalows will be used as a base for extensive wrap-around support for adults and children with disabilities who have experienced domestic violence and abuse. BCWA will give these families space and time to heal, and help with safeguarding, reporting to police or attending court, applying for jobs, college or benefits, and moving on to new homes and lives.
Peer support and therapy will also help end the isolation that many of these women and their children feel.
